


Forget-Me-Not

by RunicHealer



Category: Magic: The Gathering
Genre: Drama, Humor, M/M, Reincarnation, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-08-30
Updated: 2012-09-10
Packaged: 2017-11-13 04:48:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/499644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RunicHealer/pseuds/RunicHealer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Reincarnation tended to be troublesome, but it's nice knowing someone loved you before you were born. Scratch that, maybe it was a little creepy. For all it's worth, Jace Beleren did not regret meeting Sorin Markov for one bit. Maybe a few little bits when they didn't get along or had really big fights, but arg! Reincarnations tend to be more complicated than most people think.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Forget-Me-Not**

I

It was a few weeks ever since he saw the last of Garruk, and he was a little curious on what he planned on doing with Liliana.

It wasn't guilt for  _abandoning_  her or anything, but he wanted to see if the beastly walker planed on brutalizing the century-old necromancer. He wasn't really  _that_  concerned, he knew that the older planeswalker could take care of herself and could beat Garruk when she wanted. In fact, he wasn't doing this out of some obligation for not showing up to her after defeating Tezzeret.

Or so he says.

But that doesn't motivate him enough to summon the courage to call mana and follow the trail of corrupted Æther trail Garruk left to Bolas knows where. He did not find a reason good enough to check on what could have possibly caused Liliana to curse someone like Garruk. He didn't even try to see if the world Garrujk found Liliana on and followed could be affected by whatever chaos and destruction those two would inevitably unleash if they were to come to blows.

_Coward,_ a part of him said. He ignored it and turned towards his tomes.

The Consortium was in shambles after Tezzeret died; he didn't want to seize leadership for himself then, but when he saw the possible havoc they could cause if left unattended. He didn't even mean for Baltrice to leave after meeting Tezzeret a few years ago. Maybe he should have followed her, but he didn't.

_Nice going there, always running away._  Shut up.

Liliana and Garruk's business were theirs. He shouldn't pry.

II

Innistrad was turning out to be a hotspot for planeswalkers. It wasn't long before he became just as curious and decided to visit for a peek as well.

Unlike other planes, Innistradi humans had enemies on all sides of many kinds; Mirrodin had Phyrexians against Mirrans, Zendikar had the Eldrazi and the brood against the natives and vampires (it was more like a free-for-all than anything else), Kamigawa had spirits – like the Nezumi - against the living, Ravnica had its guild wars (another chaotic free-for-all like in Zendikar). What set Innistrad apart was the fact that all the creatures were against a single group, but centuries passed and they have yet to truly win.

Until now. He really did his homework on Innistrad.

Despite the fact that humans were the solitary side against vampires, werewolves, zombies, and the like – they weren't running out nor they were stopping for a moment's respite. Millennia passed, Innistradi humans fought against the creatures of the night, yet neither truly won in the war.

It was interesting, as if a higher force was trying to ensure equal survival and mortality rates on both sides.

Avacyn's appearance felt a little suspicious. Of all the angels that suddenly decided they wanted to help the humans, why her and why decided to help when humans were on the brink of extinction? Couldn't she appear at an earlier time when people weren't as desperate? Or was it desperation that gave her reason to appear? There must have been signs long before the human populace was running out, couldn't she have appeared earlier to make sure great bloodshed did not happen? Or did she wait for an opportune moment to ensure devotion from the people for saving them in their time of need?

He did not know, but Jace was more than willing to find out.

Just not now.

Not when Liliana and Garruk were still at large and when a great number of planes were in danger. Gideon may have saved Zendikar, but Mirrodin was still in danger and tensions among the guilds in Ravnica were escalating. He still haven't finished all of Tezzeret's research and he still needed to find out if the older man had more plots that only needed to be sprung.

They were all valid reasons. He wasn't making an excuse just because he's afraid of meeting Liliana.

III

Innisitrad was living through its darkest time. The despair and evil that hung around the plane like an ominous fog grew thicker. Humans were turning to demons and other sources in desperation of protecting themselves. They sacrificed others in hoping for selfish salvation, only to be enslaved into a fate worse than death. Then again, being called back from the dead was just as bad, and not even corpses can have their eternal rest.

However, an interesting factor appeared.

There were a few accounts of a white-haired man in dark clothing turned up in a few planes every now and then. Most said he did not involve himself in the affairs of others, some say he was always searching for an obscure spell or another and one person said that he was a planeswalker before the Great Mending. This elusive mage was sighted rather frequently on Innisitrad, thrashing through vampire parties and overturning every corner where darkness lurked. It was also said that he managed to create what a great number of mages thought impossible for thousands of years: an angel. He doesn't believe Bolas, of course.

That dragon comes and goes by the Consortium, and Jace does his best to capture him and hopefully make sure he'll never cause another problem again. Bolas only proved the fact that dragons were related to snakes, scarily so.

Jace still researched, and he managed to find a single plane of interest.

The plane wasn't that large. In fact, it was the size of a small garden but it had stone walls as its boundaries and nothing beyond. Clusters of blue flowers covered the ground and the stone walls that is looked that made the plane look underwater, or around the skyline. On the ground, a small circle laid in the center made out of marble. There was a stone pillar above it - a memorial - and it was well-maintained.

" _May the best days of our lives never fade, may our memories remain eternal even if our bodies may not."_

When Jace inspected the stone, he saw a small area with several scratches that marred the smooth stone.

' _Sorin Markov – Erik Corvus'_

For some reason, he thought that the name 'Sorin' fit the planeswalker that stormed Innistrad better than 'Erik' ever would.

When Jace Beleren left the memorial, his heart was heavy and his body was exhausted. He felt a great burden weighed down on his shoulders and a longing that he did not understand.

He wants to get back to his library and find out why.

IV

Tezzeret was either brilliant or mad, Jace preferred the latter.

Artifacts that replicated mana, artifacts that made summoning creatures from Æther easier, artifacts that rendered creatures useless, artifacts that cut off mages from mana - Gods! Tezzeret had more than hundreds-no, thousands of manuscripts that described their properties, their structures, materials needed to create them –everything! How did he get the –oh, there was a spell for turning back time, but its use was limited and short-lived. Still, twenty years was short to amass a great number of research notes and  _plans_.

He wasn't surprised the first time he raided Tezzeret's libarary, but he was surprised to find that Tezzeret had  _more_  than  _eight_  libraries. Does he create libraries on his free time? He was a minor member of the Consortium before he took over, how could did he ever find the time to create them between missions?

Tezzeret was old… but that did not justify his ridiculously large collection. Or someone older could have given this to Tezzeret. The latter looked likely.

Besides artifacts, Tezzeret had a surprisingly large collection of books ranging from magical and scientific theory to historical text and fiction. There were journals too, but Jace wasn't sure he wanted to find out if they were given, scavenged, stolen, or taken forcibly. He really preferred the first and second scenario.

He was rummaging through one of the libraries on a plane near Innistrad, and yes he was still avoiding Liliiana and he wasn't interested in meeting with her any time soon. He doesn't want to answer any of her questions that would definitely include 'Why did you abandon me?'

"I want to do the right thing, and taking over a criminal organization to cause terror won't look good on my good guy resume. I did take over because they were scaring people off, now I'm hunting criminals instead of consolidating power in other planes. Maybe next time Lili." If ever he had the chance, he will say that to Liliana's face. Yeah, as if that'll work out fine.

The hubbub in Innistrad died down, the archangel Avacyn returned and Liliana decided to return to Ravnica. He wasn't in Ravnica.

It's not that he was afraid of Liliana, he was just wary. Not with Liliana, but the herculean hunter following her. Getting strangled did not leave him any good impressions of the Wildspeaker. He had to be careful with adjusting his collar because the larger planeswalker left bruises.

Call him a coward all you want, but there are times that one must wisely avoid conflicts, especially when you know you'll be on the brunt edge of the war.

Now that Liliana and Garruk left Innistrad for Ravnica, Jace decided to explore the peculiar realm they just left: Innistrad. His first destination in mind was Gavony, but considering the large amount of rotting corpses littering the streets upon the aftermath of Avacyn's return, Jace decided to pick Stensia instead.

Why Stensia? Well, Nephalia was probably twice as worse as Gavony since a large percentage of cemeteries were on that location, and water increases the stench of carcasses. Kessig sounded interesting, but a large percentage of its dwellers were not as advanced as their fellow Innistradians. And Garruk loitered there and he wasn't interested on going to wherever Garruk went. That was why Stensia was the currently the best location.

He wasn't really much of a fan of vampires; he wasn't really a fan of a lot of things. He really should get out more, but the call of ancient tomes and cryptic text instead of social interaction and verbal communication. He wasn't embittered with Liliana, he was just wary and he wasn't in denial. He was serious. He wasn't in denial.

The Avacynian church had a very extensive and old library, but vampires had bigger and older ones. Several families had old libraries as well, grimoires passed down on every generation, noblemen that decided that living forever was more fun added their collection of literature to whatever coven that sired them.

There were four powerful and large bloodlines: the Markov, the Stromkirk, the Voldaren, and the Falkenrath. The larger they were, the more vampires they had; the more vampires, the more tomes collected. Since Markov had the most kin in Innistrad, it wasn't surprising to know that they probably had the largest library in the plane.

And it was likely that the planeswalker Sorin Markov was related to them.

V

It wasn't easy sneaking inside one of the estates. Even if it was old and abandoned, wards protected it from intruders and dismantling it was similar to slicing a heart open with a sledgehammer. It wasn't pretty.

A hundred or so wave of spirits (local dialect: geists) and stone gargoyles later, Jace was picking through tomes that Tezzeret did not have a copy of. Translation: every book present.

Oh he was more than giddy. He was so giddy that he almost forgot to quadruple check if there were any wards that he forgot to dismantle. He was pretty sure that no one knew he dismantled them or he was there. He was almost gliding among the books, lost in the high of scouring through new spells and sorceries; no one could pull Jace away from this small pocket of paradise.

Until, well, now.

"I find it rude that you're going through my library without telling me about it."

Jace did not squeak like a girl. The sound he made was a masculine exclamation of shock and indignation.

The stranger chuckled in amusement. Jace was about to berate him for trespassing until he processed the man's words. He was about to call on for blue mana to erase his existence from the stranger's mind, but that would mean the man would be confused why his wards were down and he would have to construct newer and better ones.

Jace hated dismantling ancient wards.

Instead, the young planeswalker was going to make it that he was a personal friend of the stranger, and he would just insert his existence here and there and—

"Going through other people's minds is rather rude, Jace." Oh shit, he did not expect the stranger to know him… Which meant that he's a—

"Planeswalker? Yes. I am Sorin Markov by the way." White-haired, dark clothed, really long sword, and a vampire? Yep, this guy fit the bill alright.

"You're the vampiric party-thrasher? You don't look very impressive in person." Curse his tongue. Didn't Tezzeret say something about being careful what you say because you offend others?

_The only reason I'm not currently picking your spine out from between my teeth is because you were smart enough to arrange these wards ahead of time. More to the point, I know full well you feel the same about me, no matter how you choose to doll up your words and trot them out like perfumed trollops._

Shit, that wasn't he was supposed to remember!

"I would usually find myself irritated should anyone dare trespass through my personal possessions, but I find myself amused at your expense at getting caught. The sound of feminine shrieks escaping the lips of men had always amused me."

What?

Did he? Oh no, he didn't just—

"I'm glad you think so! In my opinion, I find men with feminine accessories and parade themselves to the eyes of the world to be fetching."

Instead of offending Sorin, it only amused him more. Jace could feel it without trying to read his mind.

"Do you really?" The vampire was smiling and then stepped closer, partially successful in invading Jace's personal space. "I find you be quite fetching as well, it's rare to find handsome and outspokenly sarcastic men these days without fearing loss of entrails in the face of the rage of a vampire."

Wait what? Did Sorin just… hit on him? Wait? His brain didn't manage to decode the message. It felt forever before he managed to comprehend whatever the white-haired man said. And when he realized that Sorin did hit on and compliment him Jace did the most logical thing most men in this situation would do.

He fled.

It was more like 'he used his telekinetic abilities to push Sorin away and gather mana to planeswalk to a safe base' all the while hiding the pleased blush on his face.

**To be continued…**


	2. Chapter 2

XI

Ravnica's guilds were at it again. Fights broke out in every street between mooks from guild A and mooks from guild B.

Joy.

He should get a reward or something. The plaque should say 'Jace Beleren – He Who Finds Conspiracies and Gets in Trouble Once He Acts' or 'Jace Beleren – That Bastard that Foils Interplanar Domination Plans'. It should be in gold, or in crystal. He should hang it in the Consortium's main hall for the world to see!

Not.

Why can't he just hide in libraries in peace? Why does he need to commit himself to the greater good? Wouldn't his life be easier if he did not learn how to planeswalk? Wait. Wouldn't it be easier if Bolas died? Everything came back to that fucking dragon, what gave him the idea that Interplanar Dictatorship was good?

He couldn't enjoy actually enjoy these fountains of knowledge if the off-chance it would be caught in a crossfire should an interplanar war erupt.

Like right now, he couldn't actually enjoy reading this aged codex about a ward master's personal research notes and bits of life. So far, he saw theories and several entries about a friend that had to leave to study medical alchemy.

' _Erik came back. He's engaged to a girl named Alliana. I don't like her.'_ Jace froze. Oh no, this was just a coincidence.

He flipped through a few more pages. _'Coughed a bit. Erik fussed, as usual. He gets motherly every now and then. Still not talking to him._ 'Not what he was looking for, so he flipped through more and backtracked to see for more clues. _'He's wondering why I'm not talking to him. Idiot. – I didn't take my medicine today. I fucking hate it. – Grandfather's acting weird. – Erik's grandfather died a few weeks ago. He won't talk to anyone, not even to me. At least he's not talking to that bitch. – It's been two years. I'm his best man. If she makes him happy, then he can have her. – Alliana Corvus, as bad as it sounds, as much as I hate her, as long as she makes Erik happy, then it's fine.'_ Jace slammed it shut and shoved it to where he found, Sorin's desk.

Those were too private, as much as he loved seeing other people's secrets through their heads, but it felt wrong to intrude on their possessions. Alright, he had intruded on other people's possessions with great guilt, but Sorin was a friend and it felt wrong to read his journal like that…

"Ugh, why do I always find what needed be hidden?" he asked himself aloud.

"I believe Lady Fate loves giving you her time and attention." Jace almost jumped, but knowing Sorin for a few months now, he had expected the older man to pop in to his personal libraries every now and then unannounced, so Jace became less surprised when he would answer his voiced thoughts.

"I never knew you were quite intimate with Lady Fate." Jace hovered towards the shelves, looking for a new book to read. Sorin shrugged and sat on a nearby couch.

"I had lived for over five-thousand years, and my memories have yet to fail me. Knowing the mischievous goddess, she has a tendency to play with mages that specialize in blue magic. After all, they're mostly the curious ones and they usually end up in situations that are unfavorably amusing with persons they find hostility with." Sorin was now reading a book. Where did that came from?

"I don't think I'm currently her favorite, seeing as I'm not in an 'unfavorably amusing' situation as of now, nor do I find my company with such hostility. In fact, I rather like where I am right now, but the company is not wholly welcome whenever he wants to amuse himself by shocking me whenever I am focused on my materials."

Sorin raised an amused brow.

"Alright, your company is preferable over the murderous bastards that I met over the years," Jace admitted scowling. "Even by just a bit."

"Ah, I'm glad you find me to be above the heinous masterminds. It's rare for mere mortals to be comfortable with the company of a vampire with the wisdom of millennia on his side without feeling any urge to run a pike through my heart." Sorin looked smug, but Jace would have none of it.

"The way you pet your ego is quite terrifying. Should I stab reality on your narcissism?" Jace was flipping through a book about using blue magic in helping enhance the thinking abilities of others, thus making them more mindful of strategies when encountering others in battle.

Sorin just laughed. "I'm afraid I am far more in touch with reality than you think. If not than we would not be having this conversation, no?"

Jace just snorted. Smug bastard.

_XII_

" _I'm sorry."_ _Sorin looked away, guilt was written all over his features. Jace exhaled deeply and smiled at him with closed eyes, but the teen could see the tears forming around the lashes._

" _It's alright. I… Alliana was shocked, and by the time we managed to relocate her to a safer place… Well… that." Jace sighed once again and continued packing more of his wife's possessions. He was placing her folded clothes into a large chest that will be hidden in the attic, never to be opened again._

_Sorin could not look at him, opting to stare at the floor instead. "You feel that you should have been faster, didn't you? Like it's all your fault, but it's not! I—" Sorin swallowed. "I shouldn't have asked her instead of you to help me. I knew she was pregnant; I knew that the walk to the gardens was long; I knew that should anything happen, it would take time before help could arrive. If you're going to blame anyone, blame me." Sorin was looking at him with the same fierce determination that reminded Jace how young Sorin was once when he wanted to get out of the lonely mansion just to explore the gardens. He was getting stronger, Jace knew, but with the way Edgar sheltered him… One would think he's much more fragile than a flower._

'Like Alliana,' _he thought with a painful pang in his chest. At least, at the very least, his little girl was saved. He sighed and beckoned for Sorin to come near with a sad smile. Jace was already walking towards him._

" _Sorin, look—"_

" _I know what you're going to say, and nothing you will say will ever convince me it's not my fault!" The white-haired fourteen-year-old was breathing laboriously; it had Erik's honed medical intuition concerned. The young man's lungs weren't quite strong yet. Which meant shouting would exhaust them greatly and—_

" _I did it on purpose. I hate her because she took you away from me. No matter how I tell myself that she makes you happy, I know that there are times that she couldn't and you always fight and you forgot all about me even if you promised not to, and—" Jace pulled the young noble to a tight hug._

" _If it will make you feel better that I will hate you for making it seem that it was_ your _fault that she died during childbirth, then I might leave you with more heartache," Jace murmured, burying his nose in the shorter mage's hair. "None of us knew that she would be in labor on that day, or did you know that it would stress her out. I could never hate you, no matter what you do. You will always be important to me, and I'm sorry if I made you feel left out." Jace pulled away, a small laugh escaped his lips as he looked at Sorin's red face._

_Jace smiled gently, his blue eyes bright with heartfelt gratitude. Somehow, he felt that everything will be alright as he looked at the younger mage. "I know that you exhausted yourself in trying to sustain her until help arrived. Even if you say you hated her, you didn't have to call for help to save her, nor did you have to try healing her."_

_He held Sorin's shoulders in a tight grip; his whole frame began to shake as he gazed at Sorin's wide golden eyes. "You're definitely the most selfless person I know. Even if it meant to sacrifice your own joy for my happiness, you would do it. I'm really sorry… I don't think I deserve to have someone like you after everything I did. I'm surprised that you still want to be with my company if it hurt you so much."_

_Sorin looked away, but Jace gently held his chin and raised it gently 'til their eyes met once more. "For everything, thank you."_

_-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-_

" _It's not getting any better. We thought I was getting better but it's actually getting worse isn't it?" Sorin was staring at his blankets blankly, blood dripped down from the corner of his mouth, he did not seem bothered about its presence._

_But Jace was very troubled about it. "Sorin, look—"_

" _If you're going to sugarcoat an explanation, then I don't want to hear it. I'm dying, nothing can change that." Jace wanted to sigh, but he was far too tired to do so._

_The famine weighed heavily in his mind, and Edgar had been acting strangely for the past few weeks. Now Sorin's disease was getting worse by the time his conditions showed it was actually getting better. Was it just a stage in this disease or was it another symptom they had not known?_

_Adding a few more soothing powders into the mix, Jace began to stir the potion that will help ease the pain in the young man's lungs. "Don't be so glum. Most serious disease undergo a stage where it turns it at its worst, but it's a sign that the patient's body managed to pull out its internal defenses as the final phase will come to pass. I swear you will be better after this part."_

" _Better, worse, cured, get sick some more; that's what you've all been telling me for years. I'm seventeen now, but I've been sick ever since the day I was born."_

_Jace did not stop the sigh from escaping from his lips, he instantly felt guilty when Sorin looked away to stare longingly at the window instead._

" _I bet you're tired with all my self-pity. I'm tired of it too."_

" _Look, I know you feel bad for calling me away from Yvana, but I'd feel horrid if I didn't come to check on you whenever you get an attack like that." The young heir looked at him with a questioning glance. Jace elaborated. "Sorin, I'm your doctor first and foremost. Your wellbeing is a greater concern over mine. Come here, this will soothe your throat. Just sip and try not to swallow it all at once." Jace handed the concoction to the white-haired noble as he sat down on the edge of the large bed and moved closer to the occupant._

_Sorin wiped the blood that dribbled down his chin and then slowly drank the medicine, his eyes focused outside. When he finished, he handed it back the empty bottle to the medical alchemist and shifted to a more comfortable position. He still gazed wistfully at the exterior of the mansion._

_A sudden urge overcame Jace; tentatively, he reached for Sorin and held his chin and made the younger man face him. Sorin was looking at him curiously and his eyes shone, but Jace did not know what emotion fuelled it._

_Hesitating, Jace leant forward and placed a soft kiss on Sorin's lips._

_There was nothing passionate or unsure about it. It felt just about right, as if he should have done this for a long time ago. He just had his lips pressed intimately against Sorin's, and neither pushed nor pulled away. They didn't even realize that their eyes fluttered close as the minutes passed by._

_Slowly, they came back to reality and pulled away just as slowly as the time passed._

" _Well, that was… nice." Sorin was now smiling, his melancholy washed away._

_Jace laughed, "I suppose so… though, can you promise me one thing?" He asked the last part in a sudden urge as well._

" _Yes?"_

" _Always remember this moment and never forget about it."_

" _I promise."_

_I-I_

He should find another hobby before he's permanently glued to Sorin's libraries.

"Tezzeret had been an excellent artificer. His skills and knowledge in creating artifacts could have surpassed Urza's if he had lived, his talent with the blade was astounding, his design on his etherium arm was brilliant, and his fortitude was truly amazing." Sorin was flipping through the once leader of the Consortium's research notes with an air of nostalgia about him.

Jace raised an eyebrow. "Fortitude?"

Sorin grinned at him, teeth and fangs and all. "Quite so. Though, his etherium arm always leaves annoying scratches…"

Sweet Mishra, he did not want to hear this. The mental image of Tezzeret naked almost made Jace puke inside his mouth, he thought he did. Anything but _that_ kind of conversation, he just couldn't bring himself to think of his once mentor-turned-enemy-now-dead to have… intimate relations. He had to steer the subject away lest he mind-wipe himself and gain the curiosity on why he mind-wiped himself and gain these memories all over again.

So, he coughed. "That aside, I was wondering if you knew anything about his involvement in the Phyrexian war? Jura approached me once for help in Zendikar and I gave him a couple of mooks to handle the situation. Some of my men returned from Mirrodin and that's when I heard that Tezzeret was dead."

The vampire contemplated his words. He shut the codex gently and laid it on the table. "I had heard rumors, of an old dragon giving orders." Bolas, of course, it's always Bolas. "I had to wonder why he would follow them when he once approached me to ask for help to fight against him. Curious indeed."

"He approached you? I was under the impression you don't just give people help without a price if you did not approach them." Jace closed the book he was just reading and began to skim the shelf for anything else interesting. "Did he dismantle a ward or something? Or did he help you with a problem with your directing the magical flow in the pathways of your wards in order to bolster your personal defenses?"

"Oh, Tezzeret did not break a ward or something. Though, he did help me direct the flow of a special kind of magic that bolstered a very personal possession of mine."

It took a moment for Jace to realize where the conversation took a turn. He choked.

Sorin laughed.

Jace scowled at the vampire, glaring at him darkly. The older man chuckled and smirked at him in that smug manner of his that annoyed whoever received it.

"You're doing this on purpose aren't you?" Jace ripped a book about sound magic, hoping to find something that will help him shut the mouth of a five thousand year old vampire.

"Had I not said I experience great joy in making other people uncomfortable? A lot of people find the idea of Tezzeret having relations to be… distasteful. I believe the dreadlocks are a large factor, but had you seen him without it, then it would be an entirely different matter, no?"

Jace was scowling and his eyebrow was twitching. He wanted to claw his eyes out and punch Sorin at the same time. How did he end up making an acquaintance out of this man? Oh right, he trespassed on his mansion, helped him set up new wards, and allowed him access to libraries.

He should try looking for other allies, preferable someone saner and doesn't know Tezzeret other than a passing mention about a guy with dreadlocks that have an etherium arm. The chances of that seemed low.

Thinking about it now and the dream he had last night where… Ehem… Urza, he could not believe that he had a dream like that! It wasn't him technically, but it was Kallist, but it's hard not to _think_ of himself as Kallist since he had been living in the body of his best friend for _years_. That aside, he knew that this Erik-person had personal relations with the vampire (if the kiss was any small indication), but his curiosity demanded that he try to find more about this man who had known the Sorin when he was still human.

He was quiet for a few minutes, he actually saw Sorin look at him with a slightly worried expression from his periphery. Gathering his courage, he turned towards the white-haired man and asked. "Who's Erik Corvus?"

Sorin gave him a blank stare before looking away. "He was before your time, nothing more."

But Jace wanted to find out more. He tapped for blue mana and tried to read the other planeswalker's mind as subtly as he can. However, Sorin had more experience with mind mages and it was no surprise that he blocked his thoughts from the older man, but Jace managed to catch the barest hints of guilt and frustration.

"Don't ever try that. I might rescind my kindness and send you on your way with _nothing_ to defend yourself, and-" Sorin cut off his words, realizing the viciousness in his words. He took a deep breath before smiling in apology. "You had to forgive me. That subject is rather sensitive with me and I hope to never discuss it again."

Jace nodded, but his curiosity only increased. He cursed his thirst for knowledge.

Before Sorin had blocked him, he also managed to catch the image of a dark-haired woman wearing an elaborate robe with a teen-aged assistant with heterochromia. Even if Sorin blocked everything from him, what he found was a lot of things.

What stood out most were the woman's words echoing in his head. "-your most important possession."

_I-II_

Gods, he should have stayed in bed.

He did not expect to see Gideon, but he should have expected that Chandra would be nearby. He did not expect the fireball to sail towards him, good thing Sorin was around as well to create a ward of protection around him before the spell hit. That would have hurt.

Gideon had a hard time restraining the pyromancer, and Sorin refused to help, enjoying the chaos in sadistic glee. Fucking Schadenfreude. It was an hour later when Chandra finally calmed down, yet her glare was purely murderous and wards had to be set up to keep everything from spontaneously combusting.

Now here he was, silently mourning his singed cloak and the funds needed to have it fixed. He really should buy similar ones with a cheaper material.

Chandra was sitting next to Gideon who sat next to Sorin who sat next to him. They were supposed to be waiting for Ajani, Karn, Koth, and Elspeth. To discuss what, Jace had no idea.

Apparently, Bolas was planning something big. Surprise, surprise.

The growing tensions in Ravnica was part of his plan, the Phyrexian invasion was part of his plan, the escape of the Eldrazzi was part of his plan, the Shards of Alara coming together was part of his plan, Avacyn's disappearance was—wait, the last one was an accident, and Bolas had no connection to it whatsoever. With all the old dragon's plots spread throughout the Multiverse, one would think that every bad thing that happened would lead back to him. The lizard should get a new hobby.

"Why are we here again?" Chandra asked as she continued to scowl homicidally at Jace. Jace feigned feigning interest.

Gideon sighed, "Bolas made another move. We can't take him on our own. We have to stop him now or the whole Multiverse would be in peril."

"No surprise there, he had always been like that, long before the Mending of the Rifts. Always busy plotting even if his façade as a lazy dragon had long been discovered." Sorin was now sipping wine from an elegant crystal cup; Jace had no idea where he got it.

"So we're here to discuss how to stop him then? In case you haven't noticed Gideon, Bolas has the advantage of having allies over the years due to his ridiculous lifespan. He's probably the oldest planeswalker in existence, and he probably made friends with plenty of other planewalkers that we probably haven't heard of." Nothing new there.

Four paths to the Blind Eternities that opened later, their party turned from four to eight. Their guests all looked tired and ready to fall asleep any moment. Jace ordered one of his minions to have them set on the chairs in the meeting room and serve them some drinks. Not that Karn needed anything. He just stood there, watching.

Introductions and several life stories later, they went on to the topic of their intended meeting: how to save the Multiverse.

"Mirrodin is under duress I take it?" Sorin drawled, swirling the contents of his cup lazily. "Zendikar is mostly fine, however the Eldrazzi linger the Blind Eternities. I believe one of the guilds of Ravnica wish to contact the Consortium due to reasons unknown."

Koth snorted, "Did you pull us out of Mirrodin just to catch up on your bullshit? In case you haven't noticed, as much as we enjoy pelting Phyrexian arses back to what hole they spewed from, we're not yet finished."

"Sorry to pull you out, but I had contacts tell me of the old dragon making a move." Gideon eyed Chandrja, who was staring at Koth's shoulder magma with an intrigued gaze.

"I'm not surprised at all. Every unfortunate event in the Multiverse was a part of his intricate schemes. His goals include immortality and to be the supreme ruler of the Multiverse. How he is planning on making that happen remains unknown, but the damages he left in his wake are enough to convince me that he has to be stopped." Ajani's gruff voice had the pyromancer redirect her attention to him.

"Casualties?" Jace shouldn't have talked, now Chandra was looking at him with the promise of slaughter in her eyes.

"Venser, Tezzeret is still around as far as I'm concerned." What did Elspeth just say?

Tezzeret, fucking Tezzeret was still alive? Fuck. Shit. Shit!

Jace stood up and began to race towards the door. What if there was an artifact in the room and his old mentor might be listening any second now? Worse, what if the old man still had access to those libraries? Alright, that one was a little ridiculous because Sorin knew who entered and left his property because he had the wards recognize their presences.

"He's still alive?" Sorin asked in a hoarse whisper. The look of surprise in his face quickly disappeared, but the mind mage managed to catch glimpses of grief, shock (no shit), and relief (Curious, Sorin wasn't _that_ easy to read effortlessly before). It was enough to make him stop in his tracks.

If Jace hadn't told Sorin how he overthrew Tezzeret, he might have been cursing his stupidity for not telling Sorin because the vampire might not appreciate the way how Jace erased everything in his old fling's mind. Ew, stop thinking that Sorin and Tezzeret had something special.

"Yes, why?" Elspeth asked, peering at Sorin curiously. The vampire only gave her a mysterious smile.

Jace sighed and returned to his place. "Well then, shall we start discussing on how to acquire the help of Niv-Mizzet to stop Bolas? Or do we have to worry about more immortal dragons with plans of Multivere Dictatorship? No? In case anyone is curious, I believe Niv-Mizzet has a key on defeating that dragon, and I'm willing to find out."

_I-III_

He had no idea what he was doing in Stensia, he also had no idea why he's looking around this abandoned mansion either. Alright, maybe he knew why he was snooping around one of Sorin's old mansions, but it was purely in the name of academics!

Gods. That sounded pathetic.

His reasoning aside, the truth wouldn't hurt he supposed. He actually had another one of those strange dreams. They always switch between him as Erik, then he would turn into a casual observer, or he might mistake a wet dream for another memory. The last one was slightly disturbing, but he did get wet dreams about Kallist when—No, don't think of Kallist, damn it.

There wasn't anything special; it was just a wet dream. But a wet dream with him as Erik? Or memory. That actually pushed Jace to research more about the long-dead alchemist. He wanted to ask Sorin, but they were all busy with Bolas….

Okay, he was supposed to be busy with Bolas too, but Gideon called for a break and he's in his free time. Searching for a dead person that had relations with a friend doesn't actually constitute for a healthy free time.

He _really_ needed a new hobby.

"What are you doing here?" Caught. Again. By a woman this time though.

He could hear wings beating, and he could feel a pure and wonderful aura that probably belonged to an angel. Sighing, he pushed his hood down and turned towards the benign creature.

Shit, it's Avacyn.

He did not expect Sorin's angel to be here at all. He was about to open his mouth to answer, but Avacyn's shocked voice surprised him into silence.

"Daddy?"

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: And the plot thickens. Dun dun dun dun… What will happen to Jace now? By the way, the Roman numerals aren’t chapters. They’re months that passed. As we can see, a year and three months passes ever since Garruk strangled Jace to find Liliana.
> 
> Was it good? Was it bad? I love feedback~


	3. Chapter 3

XI

Ravnica's guilds were at it again. Fights broke out in every street between mooks from guild A and mooks from guild B.

Joy.

He should get a reward or something. The plaque should say 'Jace Beleren – He Who Finds Conspiracies and Gets in Trouble Once He Acts' or 'Jace Beleren – That Bastard that Foils Interplanar Domination Plans'. It should be in gold, or in crystal. He should hang it in the Consortium's main hall for the world to see!

Not.

Why can't he just hide in libraries in peace? Why does he need to commit himself to the greater good? Wouldn't his life be easier if he did not learn how to planeswalk? Wait. Wouldn't it be easier if Bolas died? Everything came back to that fucking dragon, what gave him the idea that Interplanar Dictatorship was good?

He couldn't enjoy actually enjoy these fountains of knowledge if the off-chance it would be caught in a crossfire should an interplanar war erupt.

Like right now, he couldn't actually enjoy reading this aged codex about a ward master's personal research notes and bits of life. So far, he saw theories and several entries about a friend that had to leave to study medical alchemy.

' _Erik came back. He's engaged to a girl named Alliana. I don't like her.'_  Jace froze. Oh no, this was just a coincidence.

He flipped through a few more pages.  _'Coughed a bit. Erik fussed, as usual. He gets motherly every now and then. Still not talking to him._ 'Not what he was looking for, so he flipped through more and backtracked to see for more clues.  _'He's wondering why I'm not talking to him. Idiot. – I didn't take my medicine today. I fucking hate it. – Grandfather's acting weird. – Erik's grandfather died a few weeks ago. He won't talk to anyone, not even to me. At least he's not talking to that bitch. – It's been two years. I'm his best man. If she makes him happy, then he can have her. – Alliana Corvus, as bad as it sounds, as much as I hate her, as long as she makes Erik happy, then it's fine.'_  Jace slammed it shut and shoved it to where he found, Sorin's desk.

Those were too private, as much as he loved seeing other people's secrets through their heads, but it felt wrong to intrude on their possessions. Alright, he had intruded on other people's possessions with great guilt, but Sorin was a friend and it felt wrong to read his journal like that…

"Ugh, why do I always find what needed be hidden?" he asked himself aloud.

"I believe Lady Fate loves giving you her time and attention." Jace almost jumped, but knowing Sorin for a few months now, he had expected the older man to pop in to his personal libraries every now and then unannounced, so Jace became less surprised when he would answer his voiced thoughts.

"I never knew you were quite intimate with Lady Fate." Jace hovered towards the shelves, looking for a new book to read. Sorin shrugged and sat on a nearby couch.

"I had lived for over five-thousand years, and my memories have yet to fail me. Knowing the mischievous goddess, she has a tendency to play with mages that specialize in blue magic. After all, they're mostly the curious ones and they usually end up in situations that are unfavorably amusing with persons they find hostility with." Sorin was now reading a book. Where did that came from?

"I don't think I'm currently her favorite, seeing as I'm not in an 'unfavorably amusing' situation as of now, nor do I find my company with such hostility. In fact, I rather like where I am right now, but the company is not wholly welcome whenever he wants to amuse himself by shocking me whenever I am focused on my materials."

Sorin raised an amused brow.

"Alright, your company is preferable over the murderous bastards that I met over the years," Jace admitted scowling. "Even by just a bit."

"Ah, I'm glad you find me to be above the heinous masterminds. It's rare for mere mortals to be comfortable with the company of a vampire with the wisdom of millennia on his side without feeling any urge to run a pike through my heart." Sorin looked smug, but Jace would have none of it.

"The way you pet your ego is quite terrifying. Should I stab reality on your narcissism?" Jace was flipping through a book about using blue magic in helping enhance the thinking abilities of others, thus making them more mindful of strategies when encountering others in battle.

Sorin just laughed. "I'm afraid I am far more in touch with reality than you think. If not than we would not be having this conversation, no?"

Jace just snorted. Smug bastard.

_XII_

" _I'm sorry."_   _Sorin looked away, guilt was written all over his features. Jace exhaled deeply and smiled at him with closed eyes, but the teen could see the tears forming around the lashes._

" _It's alright. I… Alliana was shocked, and by the time we managed to relocate her to a safer place… Well… that." Jace sighed once again and continued packing more of his wife's possessions. He was placing her folded clothes into a large chest that will be hidden in the attic, never to be opened again._

_Sorin could not look at him, opting to stare at the floor instead. "You feel that you should have been faster, didn't you? Like it's all your fault, but it's not! I—" Sorin swallowed. "I shouldn't have asked her instead of you to help me. I knew she was pregnant; I knew that the walk to the gardens was long; I knew that should anything happen, it would take time before help could arrive. If you're going to blame anyone, blame me." Sorin was looking at him with the same fierce determination that reminded Jace how young Sorin was once when he wanted to get out of the lonely mansion just to explore the gardens. He was getting stronger, Jace knew, but with the way Edgar sheltered him… One would think he's much more fragile than a flower._

'Like Alliana,' _he thought with a painful pang in his chest. At least, at the very least, his little girl was saved. He sighed and beckoned for Sorin to come near with a sad smile. Jace was already walking towards him._

" _Sorin, look—"_

" _I know what you're going to say, and nothing you will say will ever convince me it's not my fault!" The white-haired fourteen-year-old was breathing laboriously; it had Erik's honed medical intuition concerned. The young man's lungs weren't quite strong yet. Which meant shouting would exhaust them greatly and—_

" _I did it on purpose. I hate her because she took you away from me. No matter how I tell myself that she makes you happy, I know that there are times that she couldn't and you always fight and you forgot all about me even if you promised not to, and—" Jace pulled the young noble to a tight hug._

" _If it will make you feel better that I will hate you for making it seem that it was_ your _fault that she died during childbirth, then I might leave you with more heartache," Jace murmured, burying his nose in the shorter mage's hair. "None of us knew that she would be in labor on that day, or did you know that it would stress her out. I could never hate you, no matter what you do. You will always be important to me, and I'm sorry if I made you feel left out." Jace pulled away, a small laugh escaped his lips as he looked at Sorin's red face._

_Jace smiled gently, his blue eyes bright with heartfelt gratitude. Somehow, he felt that everything will be alright as he looked at the younger mage. "I know that you exhausted yourself in trying to sustain her until help arrived. Even if you say you hated her, you didn't have to call for help to save her, nor did you have to try healing her."_

_He held Sorin's shoulders in a tight grip; his whole frame began to shake as he gazed at Sorin's wide golden eyes. "You're definitely the most selfless person I know. Even if it meant to sacrifice your own joy for my happiness, you would do it. I'm really sorry… I don't think I deserve to have someone like you after everything I did. I'm surprised that you still want to be with my company if it hurt you so much."_

_Sorin looked away, but Jace gently held his chin and raised it gently 'til their eyes met once more. "For everything, thank you."_

_-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-_

" _It's not getting any better. We thought I was getting better but it's actually getting worse isn't it?" Sorin was staring at his blankets blankly, blood dripped down from the corner of his mouth, he did not seem bothered about its presence._

_But Jace was very troubled about it. "Sorin, look—"_

" _If you're going to sugarcoat an explanation, then I don't want to hear it. I'm dying, nothing can change that." Jace wanted to sigh, but he was far too tired to do so._

_The famine weighed heavily in his mind, and Edgar had been acting strangely for the past few weeks. Now Sorin's disease was getting worse by the time his conditions showed it was actually getting better. Was it just a stage in this disease or was it another symptom they had not known?_

_Adding a few more soothing powders into the mix, Jace began to stir the potion that will help ease the pain in the young man's lungs. "Don't be so glum. Most serious disease undergo a stage where it turns it at its worst, but it's a sign that the patient's body managed to pull out its internal defenses as the final phase will come to pass. I swear you will be better after this part."_

" _Better, worse, cured, get sick some more; that's what you've all been telling me for years. I'm seventeen now, but I've been sick ever since the day I was born."_

_Jace did not stop the sigh from escaping from his lips, he instantly felt guilty when Sorin looked away to stare longingly at the window instead._

" _I bet you're tired with all my self-pity. I'm tired of it too."_

" _Look, I know you feel bad for calling me away from Yvana, but I'd feel horrid if I didn't come to check on you whenever you get an attack like that." The young heir looked at him with a questioning glance. Jace elaborated. "Sorin, I'm your doctor first and foremost. Your wellbeing is a greater concern over mine. Come here, this will soothe your throat. Just sip and try not to swallow it all at once." Jace handed the concoction to the white-haired noble as he sat down on the edge of the large bed and moved closer to the occupant._

_Sorin wiped the blood that dribbled down his chin and then slowly drank the medicine, his eyes focused outside. When he finished, he handed it back the empty bottle to the medical alchemist and shifted to a more comfortable position. He still gazed wistfully at the exterior of the mansion._

_A sudden urge overcame Jace; tentatively, he reached for Sorin and held his chin and made the younger man face him. Sorin was looking at him curiously and his eyes shone, but Jace did not know what emotion fuelled it._

_Hesitating, Jace leant forward and placed a soft kiss on Sorin's lips._

_There was nothing passionate or unsure about it. It felt just about right, as if he should have done this for a long time ago. He just had his lips pressed intimately against Sorin's, and neither pushed nor pulled away. They didn't even realize that their eyes fluttered close as the minutes passed by._

_Slowly, they came back to reality and pulled away just as slowly as the time passed._

" _Well, that was… nice." Sorin was now smiling, his melancholy washed away._

_Jace laughed, "I suppose so… though, can you promise me one thing?" He asked the last part in a sudden urge as well._

" _Yes?"_

" _Always remember this moment and never forget about it."_

" _I promise."_

_I-I_

He should find another hobby before he's permanently glued to Sorin's libraries.

"Tezzeret had been an excellent artificer. His skills and knowledge in creating artifacts could have surpassed Urza's if he had lived, his talent with the blade was astounding, his design on his etherium arm was brilliant, and his fortitude was truly amazing." Sorin was flipping through the once leader of the Consortium's research notes with an air of nostalgia about him.

Jace raised an eyebrow. "Fortitude?"

Sorin grinned at him, teeth and fangs and all. "Quite so. Though, his etherium arm always leaves annoying scratches…"

Sweet Mishra, he did not want to hear this. The mental image of Tezzeret naked almost made Jace puke inside his mouth, he thought he did. Anything but  _that_  kind of conversation, he just couldn't bring himself to think of his once mentor-turned-enemy-now-dead to have… intimate relations. He had to steer the subject away lest he mind-wipe himself and gain the curiosity on why he mind-wiped himself and gain these memories all over again.

So, he coughed. "That aside, I was wondering if you knew anything about his involvement in the Phyrexian war? Jura approached me once for help in Zendikar and I gave him a couple of mooks to handle the situation. Some of my men returned from Mirrodin and that's when I heard that Tezzeret was dead."

The vampire contemplated his words. He shut the codex gently and laid it on the table. "I had heard rumors, of an old dragon giving orders." Bolas, of course, it's always Bolas. "I had to wonder why he would follow them when he once approached me to ask for help to fight against him. Curious indeed."

"He approached you? I was under the impression you don't just give people help without a price if you did not approach them." Jace closed the book he was just reading and began to skim the shelf for anything else interesting. "Did he dismantle a ward or something? Or did he help you with a problem with your directing the magical flow in the pathways of your wards in order to bolster your personal defenses?"

"Oh, Tezzeret did not break a ward or something. Though, he did help me direct the flow of a special kind of magic that bolstered a very personal possession of mine."

It took a moment for Jace to realize where the conversation took a turn. He choked.

Sorin laughed.

Jace scowled at the vampire, glaring at him darkly. The older man chuckled and smirked at him in that smug manner of his that annoyed whoever received it.

"You're doing this on purpose aren't you?" Jace ripped a book about sound magic, hoping to find something that will help him shut the mouth of a five thousand year old vampire.

"Had I not said I experience great joy in making other people uncomfortable? A lot of people find the idea of Tezzeret having relations to be… distasteful. I believe the dreadlocks are a large factor, but had you seen him without it, then it would be an entirely different matter, no?"

Jace was scowling and his eyebrow was twitching. He wanted to claw his eyes out and punch Sorin at the same time. How did he end up making an acquaintance out of this man? Oh right, he trespassed on his mansion, helped him set up new wards, and allowed him access to libraries.

He should try looking for other allies, preferable someone saner and doesn't know Tezzeret other than a passing mention about a guy with dreadlocks that have an etherium arm. The chances of that seemed low.

Thinking about it now and the dream he had last night where… Ehem… Urza, he could not believe that he had a dream like that! It wasn't him technically, but it was Kallist, but it's hard not to  _think_ of himself as Kallist since he had been living in the body of his best friend for  _years_. That aside, he knew that this Erik-person had personal relations with the vampire (if the kiss was any small indication), but his curiosity demanded that he try to find more about this man who had known the Sorin when he was still human.

He was quiet for a few minutes, he actually saw Sorin look at him with a slightly worried expression from his periphery. Gathering his courage, he turned towards the white-haired man and asked. "Who's Erik Corvus?"

Sorin gave him a blank stare before looking away. "He was before your time, nothing more."

But Jace wanted to find out more. He tapped for blue mana and tried to read the other planeswalker's mind as subtly as he can. However, Sorin had more experience with mind mages and it was no surprise that he blocked his thoughts from the older man, but Jace managed to catch the barest hints of guilt and frustration.

"Don't ever try that. I might rescind my kindness and send you on your way with  _nothing_  to defend yourself, and-" Sorin cut off his words, realizing the viciousness in his words. He took a deep breath before smiling in apology. "You had to forgive me. That subject is rather sensitive with me and I hope to never discuss it again."

Jace nodded, but his curiosity only increased. He cursed his thirst for knowledge.

Before Sorin had blocked him, he also managed to catch the image of a dark-haired woman wearing an elaborate robe with a teen-aged assistant with heterochromia. Even if Sorin blocked everything from him, what he found was a lot of things.

What stood out most were the woman's words echoing in his head. "-your most important possession."

_I-II_

Gods, he should have stayed in bed.

He did not expect to see Gideon, but he should have expected that Chandra would be nearby. He did not expect the fireball to sail towards him, good thing Sorin was around as well to create a ward of protection around him before the spell hit. That would have hurt.

Gideon had a hard time restraining the pyromancer, and Sorin refused to help, enjoying the chaos in sadistic glee. Fucking Schadenfreude. It was an hour later when Chandra finally calmed down, yet her glare was purely murderous and wards had to be set up to keep everything from spontaneously combusting.

Now here he was, silently mourning his singed cloak and the funds needed to have it fixed. He really should buy similar ones with a cheaper material.

Chandra was sitting next to Gideon who sat next to Sorin who sat next to him. They were supposed to be waiting for Ajani, Karn, Koth, and Elspeth. To discuss what, Jace had no idea.

Apparently, Bolas was planning something big. Surprise, surprise.

The growing tensions in Ravnica was part of his plan, the Phyrexian invasion was part of his plan, the escape of the Eldrazzi was part of his plan, the Shards of Alara coming together was part of his plan, Avacyn's disappearance was—wait, the last one was an accident, and Bolas had no connection to it whatsoever. With all the old dragon's plots spread throughout the Multiverse, one would think that every bad thing that happened would lead back to him. The lizard should get a new hobby.

"Why are we here again?" Chandra asked as she continued to scowl homicidally at Jace. Jace feigned feigning interest.

Gideon sighed, "Bolas made another move. We can't take him on our own. We have to stop him now or the whole Multiverse would be in peril."

"No surprise there, he had always been like that, long before the Mending of the Rifts. Always busy plotting even if his façade as a lazy dragon had long been discovered." Sorin was now sipping wine from an elegant crystal cup; Jace had no idea where he got it.

"So we're here to discuss how to stop him then? In case you haven't noticed Gideon, Bolas has the advantage of having allies over the years due to his ridiculous lifespan. He's probably the oldest planeswalker in existence, and he probably made friends with plenty of other planewalkers that we probably haven't heard of." Nothing new there.

Four paths to the Blind Eternities that opened later, their party turned from four to eight. Their guests all looked tired and ready to fall asleep any moment. Jace ordered one of his minions to have them set on the chairs in the meeting room and serve them some drinks. Not that Karn needed anything. He just stood there, watching.

Introductions and several life stories later, they went on to the topic of their intended meeting: how to save the Multiverse.

"Mirrodin is under duress I take it?" Sorin drawled, swirling the contents of his cup lazily. "Zendikar is mostly fine, however the Eldrazzi linger the Blind Eternities. I believe one of the guilds of Ravnica wish to contact the Consortium due to reasons unknown."

Koth snorted, "Did you pull us out of Mirrodin just to catch up on your bullshit? In case you haven't noticed, as much as we enjoy pelting Phyrexian arses back to what hole they spewed from, we're not yet finished."

"Sorry to pull you out, but I had contacts tell me of the old dragon making a move." Gideon eyed Chandrja, who was staring at Koth's shoulder magma with an intrigued gaze.

"I'm not surprised at all. Every unfortunate event in the Multiverse was a part of his intricate schemes. His goals include immortality and to be the supreme ruler of the Multiverse. How he is planning on making that happen remains unknown, but the damages he left in his wake are enough to convince me that he has to be stopped." Ajani's gruff voice had the pyromancer redirect her attention to him.

"Casualties?" Jace shouldn't have talked, now Chandra was looking at him with the promise of slaughter in her eyes.

"Venser, Tezzeret is still around as far as I'm concerned." What did Elspeth just say?

Tezzeret, fucking Tezzeret was still alive? Fuck. Shit. Shit!

Jace stood up and began to race towards the door. What if there was an artifact in the room and his old mentor might be listening any second now? Worse, what if the old man still had access to those libraries? Alright, that one was a little ridiculous because Sorin knew who entered and left his property because he had the wards recognize their presences.

"He's still alive?" Sorin asked in a hoarse whisper. The look of surprise in his face quickly disappeared, but the mind mage managed to catch glimpses of grief, shock (no shit), and relief (Curious, Sorin wasn't  _that_  easy to read effortlessly before). It was enough to make him stop in his tracks.

If Jace hadn't told Sorin how he overthrew Tezzeret, he might have been cursing his stupidity for not telling Sorin because the vampire might not appreciate the way how Jace erased everything in his old fling's mind. Ew, stop thinking that Sorin and Tezzeret had something special.

"Yes, why?" Elspeth asked, peering at Sorin curiously. The vampire only gave her a mysterious smile.

Jace sighed and returned to his place. "Well then, shall we start discussing on how to acquire the help of Niv-Mizzet to stop Bolas? Or do we have to worry about more immortal dragons with plans of Multivere Dictatorship? No? In case anyone is curious, I believe Niv-Mizzet has a key on defeating that dragon, and I'm willing to find out."

_I-III_

He had no idea what he was doing in Stensia, he also had no idea why he's looking around this abandoned mansion either. Alright, maybe he knew why he was snooping around one of Sorin's old mansions, but it was purely in the name of academics!

Gods. That sounded pathetic.

His reasoning aside, the truth wouldn't hurt he supposed. He actually had another one of those strange dreams. They always switch between him as Erik, then he would turn into a casual observer, or he might mistake a wet dream for another memory. The last one was slightly disturbing, but he did get wet dreams about Kallist when—No, don't think of Kallist, damn it.

There wasn't anything special; it was just a wet dream. But a wet dream with him as Erik? Or memory. That actually pushed Jace to research more about the long-dead alchemist. He wanted to ask Sorin, but they were all busy with Bolas….

Okay, he was supposed to be busy with Bolas too, but Gideon called for a break and he's in his free time. Searching for a dead person that had relations with a friend doesn't actually constitute for a healthy free time.

He  _really_  needed a new hobby.

"What are you doing here?" Caught. Again. By a woman this time though.

He could hear wings beating, and he could feel a pure and wonderful aura that probably belonged to an angel. Sighing, he pushed his hood down and turned towards the benign creature.

Shit, it's Avacyn.

He did not expect Sorin's angel to be here at all. He was about to open his mouth to answer, but Avacyn's shocked voice surprised him into silence.

"Daddy?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: And the plot thickens. Dun dun dun dun... What will happen to Jace now? By the way, the Roman numerals aren't chapters. They're months that passed. As we can see, a year and three months passes ever since Garruk strangled Jace to find Liliana.
> 
> Was it good? Was it bad? I love feedback~


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